Latest news with #KristenKish
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Top Chef' will move from Canada to Italy for the Season 22 finale, Kristen Kish announces in Calgary
Top Chef Season 22 moved to a different Canadian city this week, with the competitors making the journey from Toronto to the Alberta city of Calgary. As the chefs stood together at the city's Olympic Plaza, Kristen Kish announced the upcoming finale will take place in Milan, Italy. Maybe an odd choice for a season technically called Top Chef: Destination Canada, but the chefs were excited. A guest judge this week was Connie Desousa, chef at Charcut in Calgary. The Top Chef Canada finalist stood with the judges, including Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons, to announce the Quickfire Challenge, inspired by the Calgary Stampede. The chefs were given 45 minutes to create their own handheld pancake breakfast to feed 50 diners. There was $10,000 up for grabs for the Quickfire Challenge winner, which was Shuai, who made a cornmeal pancake with scrambled eggs, lap cheong, cheddar and chili crisp avocado aioli. Moving into the Elimination Challenge, chef Denia Baltzer, chef and owner of Creative Cuisine Catering, and member of the Łııdlı̨ı̨ Kųę First Nation, greeted the competitors and provided more details about the Stampede, specifically its history of being an event where ranchers and First Nations people come together. Kristen explained that the Elimination Challenge would be centred around two ingredients, one from each of these communities, beef and berries. The chefs got to decide amongst themselves which cut of beef they would use, and drew knives for the type of berry. With Shuai being the winner of the Quickfire Challenge, he was given three hours to cook, while the rest of the chefs had two hours. Much like we've seen throughout the season, there weren't any particularly cooking disasters during this eliminations, before the chefs brought their dishes to the judges table, which included Paul Roglaski, chef and co-owner of Rogue restaurant and co-host of Wild Harvest. The dishes made by each chef and the judges feedback went as follows: Lana — Grilled New York strip steak with pommes anna, haskap berry condiment and smoked haskap berry jus — Connie loved the sauce and the savoury element of the condiment, but Denia wanted to see more berry, Kristen found the sage overpowering, Gail found the potato too dry, and Tom said the meat was over-rested, cooked too early Massimo — Tenderloin with umeboshi, pickled elderberry sauce, smoked kohlrabi and elderberry soup purée — Gail called the dish a "showstopper," Kristen said the beef was cooked beautifully Bailey — Saskatoon braised beef cheek, creamy polenta, brûléed blue cheese and roasted walnut — Gail said the brûléed blue cheese threw her off, with Tom questioning the decision as well, while Denia said the Saskatoon berry flavour got lost in the sauce Tristen — Alberta flat iron with kohlrabi, gooseberries and bone marrow pemmican — Tom said there was a ton of flavour, Kristen loved that the gooseberries reminded her of sour candies, but Gail identified that her steak wasn't cooked properly César — Grilled ribeye, chokeberry reduction, rutabaga cream and bone marrow cornbread — Gail said everything on her plate was cooked perfectly, but all the chefs criticized the lack of tartness from the berries Shuai — Mama Wang's stuffed cabbage with braised short rib, wild rice congee and black currant black pepper sauce — Connie loved it and said it reminded her of a dish her mother makes, Tom said the beef is rich and the congee was also rich, but it was flavourful, and Gail loved the tartness from the black currents The winning chef was Canadian Massimo, who will get an advantage next week, while Lana was eliminated from the competition.
Refinery29
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Refinery29
Kristen Kish's Return To Her Birth Country Was Beautifully Complicated
When Kristen Kish, winner of Top Chef Season 10 and now its host, traveled to South Korea in June 2022, she was nervous. Adopted at four months by an American family, the celebrity chef had never returned to her birth country — and wasn't sure what she would find, feel, or even understand about a place that was hers and yet also wasn't. 'I thought I was supposed to feel this wave of emotion of 'Oh my god, I'm home.' I thought I was supposed to look out into the world of Korean people and feel like I belonged. But it didn't happen,' she tells me over a lavish spread at Borit Gogae, a cozy Korean restaurant in Los Angeles' Koreatown that specializes in banchan. 'I felt more like a tourist and a visitor, which I certainly was and am. But I felt guilty for not feeling those feelings.' It took her a couple days to realize she couldn't force a moment of emotional revelation. 'Me not feeling anything doesn't mean that I have any less respect for where I come from. I need time to discover it,' she says. But there was one moment that gave her what she didn't know she needed. While visiting a hand-carved stamp shop, she decided to get one made with her Korean name. When the shopowner asked her what it was, she hesitated, nervous to tell her adoption story. 'I didn't want to feel like I was being judged. But he said, 'You belong here,' she pauses, her voice catching. 'That for me was the moment of the trip.' The story didn't make it into her debut memoir, Accidentally On Purpose, released last month, but it speaks to the heart of her improbable journey — one shaped by chance and intention, clarity and ambiguity. In the book, Kish shares more about growing up as a Korean adoptee in a white Midwestern family, navigating her queer and Korean identities, and rising to become one of the most recognized chefs on television. In our first episode of Fam Style, Kish and I sit down to talk about how Korean food has helped her connect to her heritage, the idea of belonging, and the layered journey of coming home — all over a meal that tastes like a memory. Fam Style spotlights Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) changemakers across entertainment, food, art, and culture. Over shared meals at AAPI-owned restaurants, we sit down with creators, artists, and innovators to talk about identity, ambition, community, and the stories that shape us. Through intimate conversations and the language of food, we highlight the nuance, joy, and resilience within the AAPI experience — one dish at a time.
San Francisco Chronicle
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Bobby Flay, Serena Williams and Green Day headline BottleRock Napa Valley 2025 culinary stage
Culinary heavyweights like TV food competition master Bobby Flay, 'Top Chef' host Kristen Kish, tennis legend Serena Williams and actress/singer Kate Hudson are among the stars set to appear at the BottleRock Napa Valley culinary stage. Known for bringing together celebrity chefs, musicians and sports figures, the 2025 Williams Sonoma Culinary Stage also plans to present festival performers including Green Day drummer Tré Cool as well as musicians Noah Kahan and Benson Boone throughout the Memorial Day weekend event from May 23-25. 'We've got a great cross section of talented chefs, musicians, world-class athletes, celebrities and engaging personalities ready to literally and figuratively mix it up,' said Dave Graham, partner at BottleRock Napa Valley, in a statement. 'Fans will surely experience some fun, crazy moments.' Well-known chefs like Andrew Zimmern, Antoni Porowski and Marcus Samuelsson, alongside celebrities such as comedian and 'The Righteous Gemstones' star Adam Devine, also top the bill. They'll share the stage with musicians like Red Hot Chili Peppers singer Anthony Kiedis, Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale, R&B singer Bobby Brown, and rappers Chuck D, Flavor Flav and E-40. Other notable celebrities set to appear include San Francisco Niners George Kittle and Kyle Juszczyk, and former San Francisco Giants players Evan Longoria and George Kontos. While BottleRock Culinary Stage veteran José Andrés, who launched the new cooking competition show "Yes Chef!" with Martha Stewart earlier this year, isn't on the list, other returning culinary stars include Brooke Williamson, Masaharu Morimoto, Trisha Yearwood, and Bryan and Michael Voltaggio, among others. Emmy Award-winning TV personality and KCBS 'Foodie Chap' Liam Mayclem will once again host each food demonstration, with music provided by Bay Area DJ Umami. BottleRock Napa Valley, which takes over the Napa Valley Expo, again promises to deliver a unique fusion of food, music and celebrity in the heart of downtown Napa. Headlined by Green Day, Justin Timberlake and Kahan, the three-day event will feature more than 75 musical acts spanning rock, pop, electronica and hip-hop. In addition to the headliners, BottleRock's musical stages will showcase an eclectic mix of artists, including Kaskade, Ice Cube, Rebelution, Sublime, Khruangbin, Public Enemy, Flo Rida and more. Single-day ticket prices start at $233 for general admission, $598 for VIP access and $864 for the exclusive VIP Viewing Suite.
New York Times
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
When Kristen Kish, ‘Top Chef' Host, Hits the Mute Button
In her new memoir, 'Accidentally on Purpose,' Kristen Kish reflects on her childhood as a Korean adoptee in Michigan, coming out as gay in her late 20s, winning Season 10 of 'Top Chef' and struggling with anxiety. Yet Kish, who now hosts the Bravo competition series, is known for her laid-back interactions with contestants. 'If my anxiety level was at a million growing up and being a young adult, it is certainly now in the hundreds,' she said. 'It has drastically reduced because I've given time and energy to managing it in the best way I can.' Kish, 41, in her book recounts an upbringing filled with meatloaf, casseroles and Sunkist candies. Such down-to-earth predilections have stuck with her despite her upscale culinary career. 'People ask what my guilty pleasure food is,' she said. 'I don't feel any guilt around anything. I want it, I like it, it's delicious — I have no shame.' In a phone interview last month, the globe-trotting restaurateur shared her favorite travel snacks, how she keeps in touch with her parents and the thing you'll probably see her doing while she's cooking. These are edited excerpts. One of my favorite airplane snacks. The honey mustard flavor is specifically glorious, especially when you're flying — you know how they say your taste buds go a bit muted. These are salty, there's enough sweetness from the mustard, and the crunch is exceptional. I would rather eat five little packs of these over one meal they're offering. I can't live without my evening WhatsApp. That can last two minutes or 45, it depends on the day and how much we have to say. Sometimes we're not saying anything at all. I worry about them. They're fine, they're healthy, they live their life, they probably have a busier social calendar than I do. But when I go to bed, I need to know that I saw their faces. I always travel with a backward flat brim and a forward dad hat. I'll wear one and have another hanging off my backpack. The backward hat's for walking around. The forward hat's for airplanes and cars (I can't lean back with the backward). It's purely mental stability, like a security blanket. You know when you're watching something and all of a sudden you're like, 'Oh my God, the noise is just too much'? I will sit there and mute the TV and keep watching it. It's not that I need 10 minutes of quiet, I just need a few seconds of relief. I also definitely mute during commercials. There was a point when I wore kitchen clogs, which I found uncomfortable. Then, Birkenstocks, but your heel's exposed. Your sock's going to get soaked, especially when you're flooding the floors to clean at the end of the night. Blundstones are waterproof and they look good. I can go from the airplane to out in the wild, right into the kitchen and I feel like they fit all those scenarios. When I opened my restaurant in the Line hotel in Austin, it was in every single room. My wife had to tell me what it was because I was like, 'What are these wooden sticks in here for?' I travel with it and when I'm in dressing rooms, studios and hotels, it just makes everything smell familiar to me, regardless of where I am. When I'm eating different flavors throughout the day — snacking on things or trying 15 dishes on 'Top Chef' — at a certain point, my mouth starts to just feel gross. Brushing my teeth, tongue scraping and flossing help me reset a little bit. A lot of women's pants have little pockets that go down maybe three inches. I need them to touch my thigh. Because I'm not a purse kind of person, I like to fit my wallet, keys and mints all in my pocket if I can. I have a stylist for any clothes that I wear in public or on television. When fending for myself, I'm going to wear pants that are two times too big, comfortable and with deep pockets. Lululemon dance studio relaxed fit mid-rise cargo pants are so comfortable. Not only do they have deep pockets, they also have cargo and back pockets. My preference is the stick. I always carry it in my left pocket; that's just where it lives. I don't leave home without it and it's stashed in random places in our house — on my desk, in the junk drawer downstairs, two in our bedroom. I buy them in bulk and take great pride in finishing them. My mom used to tell me, 'You look like I look like a cow chewing gum.' But it keeps cadence and there's something in the rhythm of chewing where if I'm doing a task, especially if I'm cooking for hours, it's a place for the anxiety to go. You know, how people relax with knee bouncing.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Top Chef' Season 22 host Gail Simmons on showcasing Canada to U.S., global audience: 'It's not the same as America'
Top Chef Season 22 (premiering March 13, streaming on Hayu in Canada at 10:15 p.m. ET) has set its sights on Canada, bringing the ultimate culinary competition across the U.S. border. Host Kristen Kish, head judge Tom Colicchio, and perennial judge Gail Simmons (who is Canadian) will crown the next winner of the show, with the new season featuring Canadian destinations Toronto, Calgary, Montreal and Prince Edward Island. The winner will take home the $250,000 grand prize, provided by Saratoga Spring Water, the official water of Top Chef; Delta SkyMiles Diamond Medallion Status, and a $125,000 flight credit to spend on travel with Delta Air Lines. They will also get a feature in Food & Wine magazine and an appearance at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen. Additionally, for the first time in the show's history, the Season 22 winner will headline their own dinner at the James Beard House in New York and will have the opportunity to present at The James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards in Chicago. There is also $150,000 up for grabs throughout the competition through Quickfire Challenges and Elimination Challenges. Among the 15 contestants, one chef is Canadian, Massimo Piedimonte from Montreal, chef and owner of Cabaret l'Enfer. Simmons, who's from Toronto and went to university in Montreal, highlighted that bringing Top Chef to Canada is a way to expose the show's American audience to the Canadian culture that they don't tend to think about. "I think everything [about Canada they don't] think about," Simmons told Yahoo Canada on the set of the show in Toronto last year. "But that happens every season, to some extent. I don't think that most people knew about Milwaukee when we went there, and they questioned it, but once they watched the show they came to understand how fun and interesting and layered and deliciousness it is, and we discovered that too." I hope that this is no different. It's a big country. We're not able to show them everything, of course, .. but I think we can definitely paint a broader picture for most Americans who actually know nothing about Canada, and it's not their Simmons, Top Chef: Destination Canada judge "(Americans) had no reason to ever look up, so to speak. ... But I do think that there's a lot to Canada that people don't realize, and it's not the same as America. It is nuanced and different. It has different population, it has different politics, it has different beliefs and a different constitution, and it certainly has different ingredients, different Indigenous people, and a different story to tell. And I think hopefully we'll be able to tell a little bit of that story." But much of the magic of Top Chef, aside from the food and the thrill of the competition, is the banter and energy between the judges. For Simmons and Colicchio, in particular, they have a long history of working on the show together. "Truthfully, I think of him as like an older brother," Simmons said. "It's rare in life that you get to, number one, make a show for this long to begin with, 19 years of my life. ... So to be able to have grown up with him in my adult life has been amazing." "He's been such a guiding force in my life, such a solid mentor and advocate for me, and also just a great friend in general, and we've explored the world together. At this point, I can't even count how many cities and countries we've been to together. And he's always up for adventure. And I think that what people who've watched the show for a long time understand about Tom is that he really is this amazing teddy bear. He's very smart and a very gifted chef, and he takes his job seriously because he has a lot of respect for it, and I think that's how he treats the contestants." Before hosting the show, Kish was a competitor on Top Chef, winning Season 10 after being eliminated and making a comeback in Last Chance Kitchen. Kish brings a particularly unique perspective to the judging panel. "She's fantastic. ... She knows what they're going through and it's interesting, because in some instances I think she's actually tougher on them, because she's like, 'No, if I did that, you would not have been so easy on me,'" executive producer and showrunner, Doneen Arquines, said. "To be able to empathize with them and what they're going through, and the stress and being tired and all the things that kind of weigh on you once you get closer, and she also was eliminated, ... so she's kind of gone through it all and seen it all. And having that perspective was really great. And then she's also just fun." "I've had a relationship with Tom and Gail since I won, so it's not like I was coming and being flopped with two people that I've never worked with before. We're all friends already," Kish added in a separate interview. "Tom reminded me last season that this is how we talk anyways, we're judging, sure, and we're slightly more critical, because you have to be, but in my restaurant I give feedback to my chefs all the time. It's the same thing." But while Top Chef continues to be incredibly beloved, with fans still seeking out restaurants of current or former Top Chef contestants to this day, it has made some think that they're culinary judges in their personal lives. Kish thinks that maybe the audience should take a note from the show when they're trying food at restaurants, and feel compelled to judge. "You have to weed your way through some things. Some things are commenting to be commenting, and some are thoughtful critique, and you've got to, as a chef or as a restaurant owner, ... know when you're doing something right and when something's not working," Kish said. "I have a love-hate relationship with everyone having a public review, if they want." "But I just encourage people to actually, if something's not good, that's not a good review, right? Or if I expected more, that's not a good review. You have to say why. And on Top Chef you'll hear it. We don't just say this was a bad dish. What kind of show would that be? We would be assholes. So it's the same way out in the real world." 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